The present invention relates to wetting apparatus for wetting or hydrophilic urinary catheters comprising a wetting receptacle which defines a wetting fluid receiving area which is adapted to receive a hydrophilic urinary catheter and a hydrophilic urinary catheter wetting fluid container having a discharge outlet movable from a closed position to an open position on application of a predetermined condition thereto to enable the wetting fluid to be discharged from the wetting fluid container into the wetting fluid receiving area for wetting of the hydrophilic urinary catheter. The present invention further relates to a fluid container, of a type which may be used in such apparatus.
Intermittent self-catheterisation is widely employed by patients suffering from for example strictures or traumas in the urinary system as well as by paralysed patients to enable the patients to live a nearly normal home life. Urinary catheters supplied for intermittent self-catheterisation in general need to have a lubricant applied to the outer surfaces thereof to facilitate insertion into the urethra. For example, hydrophilic urinary catheters have a hydrophilic outer surface coating which should be wetted by a fluid such as water or saline for a certain time period prior to insertion thereof into the urethra of a patient for lubrication purposes.
Various methods for lubricating urinary catheters have been previously proposed, examples of which are given below.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,726 makes known a self-lubricating urinary catheter and a method for self-catherisation. The catheter has an annular lubricant reservoir surrounding an inner tube having perforations. As the catheter is inserted into the urethra of a patient lubricant is forced from the reservoir into the inner tube and out into the urethra through a discharge outlet in the catheter. Lubrication of the outer surface of the catheter therefore only takes place as the catheter is being inserted into the urethra of the patient resulting in at least some initial discomfort for the patient on insertion of the catheter.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,728 makes known a catheter package comprising a urinary catheter and a rupturable, lubricant containing pouch. One edge of the pouch is located within the package adjacent to the tip of the catheter and the seal at that edge is made so that it ruptures when the pouch is squeezed thereby to lubricate the tip of the catheter. As only the tip of the catheter is lubricated the patient will still suffer discomfort on insertion of the catheter into the urethra.
Prior UK patent application publication No. 2284764 makes known a catheter and urine collection bag assembly comprising (i) a catheter having a shaft with a rounded tip, a drainage aperture in the tip and a flared portion to the rear of the shaft, and (ii) a urine collection bag within which the catheter is disposed and which at a forward end is formable with an aperture which is sufficiently large to permit the tip and shaft of the catheter to pass through but small enough for the flared portion of the catheter to engage therewith to form a mechanical seal against leakage of urine. Once the catheter has been extended through the aperture it is ready to be inserted into the urethra of a patient. Urine is transported rearwardly through the catheter from the bladder of the patient for collection in the urine collection bag. It is disclosed that a separate, burstable container containing a lubricious substance may be included within the urine collection bag for lubricating the catheter. No details are given, however, of the construction of the container nor of the disposition of the container relative to the catheter.
Applicant's prior International patent application publication No. WO86/06284 discloses a wetting and storage device for a hydrophilic urinary catheter. A wetting pocket is provided, closed at one end so that it may be filled with a wetting liquid and, a hydrophilic urinary  catheter is then introduced into the pocket for wetting thereof. No liquid container, though, is provided in the device for releasing wetting liquid into the pocket immediately prior to use of the catheter. Wetting liquid for the pocket therefore has to be supplied separately by the patient. This is inconvenient because a sterile supply of wetting liquid is not necessarily always on hand to the patient and there is a marked possibility of spillage of the wetting liquid.
The hitherto proposed lubricating apparatus for urinary catheters discussed above have the drawback that they make no or inadequate provision for lubricating hydrophilic urinary catheters. As an example, the lubricating arrangements made known in U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,728 and UK patent application publication No. 2284764 are for catheters of non-hydrophilic character, the lubricant therefore being a gel which is unsuited for lubricating a hydrophilic catheter. The prior lubricating apparatus therefore fail to provide an integrated supply of hydrophilic urinary catheter wetting fluid let alone an integrated supply of hydrophilic urinary catheter wetting fluid which on discharge results in wetting of the insertable length or substantially the insertable length of a hydrophilic urinary catheter prior to insertion of the catheter into the urethra of a patient.
Patients using hydrophilic urinary catheters accordingly require improved means for lubricating the catheters. The present invention therefore proposes to address this requirement.